by 2005, colgan had successfully bid and won flying contracts with continental, us air and united airlines serving regional markets across the northeast and throughout texas. in just four years, colgan had more than doubled in size. that's a lot of growth to manage there, isn't it? >> a lot of growth for colgan to manage. this has been a lot of growth for the regional sector to manage. from flying a small portion of overall flying to operating 52% of the departures today. you know, it's been a huge transition for the regional sector. >> o'brien: even before the crash of 3407, there were growing safety concerns about the regional airlines. since 2002, the last six fatal commercial airline accidents in the u.s. have all involved regionals. in four of the accidents, the ntsb cited pilot error as a cause. the investigation of 3407 opened a window into the lives of regional pilots, where the work is hard, and the days are long, says former colgan pilot chris wiken. >> it's challenging. it's very challenging. a lot of short routes, a lot of take offs, a lot of landings, and going in and out of b

it took too long beyond the colgan air crash. but these things take a long time. we wanted to make sure we got it right. >> reporter: the ntsb cited pilot error for the february 2009 crash. neither pilot appeared 20 have slept in a bed the night before they arrived to fly. under the new rules, a pilot can work a 9-hour to 14-hour shift. the flight time is limited to eight or nine hours. they must get a ten-hour rest period between shifts. which must include a chance for eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. not everyone is convinced the new rules will help. in a written statement, the chairman of the transportation infrastructure committee said, pilots must take personal responsibility for coming to duty rested and ready for duty. the new rules are expected to cost the airline industry nearly $300 million in the next decade. the rules don't go into effect for two years and they do not apply to cargo carriers. duarte geraldino, for abc news. >>> walmart has pulled a batch of powder infant formula from its stores after a baby from missouri became ill and then died. no

. >> reporter: in 2009, a continental regional jet from newark, operated by colgan air, crashed on approachilling 50 people. neither the pilot nor the first officeer slept in a bed the night before the flight. they had commuted to newark from florida and washington state. yawns could be heard on the cockpit voice recorder. >> we had a captain who had actually been overnighting in the crew lounge at newark airport for two of the previous three nights. >> reporter: today's new fatigue rules from the faa are meant to prevent just such accidents. >> this new rule will afford pilots the opportunity to get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep before a flight. >> reporter: the rules will also reduce the number of on-duty hours for a pilot, but only from a maximum of 16 hours a day to 14 hours a day. >> i'm very distressed at the new rules, because they did not go far enough and in fact, they bear the earmarks of an industry that's been whining and we needed more teeth in these rules. >> reporter: and many, including the national transportation safety board, say the new rules fall substantially short

the change was prompted by this colgan air crash in a buffalo suburb. 50 people, including 1 person onround, died. investigators found that pilot fatigue played a role in the crash. >>> international soccer star david beckham may be headed overseas. a french newspaper is reporting that the 36-year-old englishman will sign with a french team for, get this, $1 million a month. beckham's five-year contract with the l.a. galaxy ended this year. his deal with the french club should allow him to play for britain in the london olympics, as well. >>> from soccer to basketball. let's turn it over to espn news for last night's top highlights from the hardcourt. >> i'm don bell with your espn news update. the cardinals are looking to go 11-0, their best start since '74-'75, taking on charleston. first half, antoine wiggins, jamming it home. charleston cuts the lead to three. andrew lawrence for the deep three. charleston went up 37-33, in the half. chris smith to russ smith for the three. louisville cut the lead to two. later on, matt sundberg for three. cougars back up by five. they go back and

it took too long beyond the colgan air crash, but these things take a long time. >> despite that, though, the aviation experts we talked to said those new rules do not go nearly far enough. cargo carriers which do much of their flying overnight when people naturally crave sleep don't actually have to follow them. >>> president obama's urging house and senate leaders to end their standoff over the payroll tax cut extensions. the president puts a human face on the issue later today when he meets with workers who stand to lose $40 each paycheck. it's also an issue out on the campaign trail. former house speaker newt gingrich blasted congress for, quote, an absurd dereliction of duty, end quote. >>> if a federal court approves its deal with the justice department, countrywide financial will pay a record fine for a pattern of racial discrimination. the $335 million settlement follows years of unfair lending practices against qualified african-americans as well as hispanics. abc's jim avila reports. >> reporter: the superlatives were flying at the department of justice.

the crash of a colgan air commuter jet from newark to buffalo in 2009, in which 50 people died. neither the pilot nor the first officer had slept in a bed the night before. they had commuted to newark from florida and washington state. yawns could be heard on the cockpit voice recorder. >> this new rule will afford pilots the opportunity to get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep before a flight. >> reporter: the rules will also reduce the number of on-duty hours for a pilot, but only from a maximum of 16 hours a day to 14 hours a day. >> i'm very distressed over these rules because they don't go anywhere near far enough. >> reporter: and some say the new rules fall substantially short of dealing with the problems of pilots who commute to their base, flying in from distant cities to begin their duty. younger, less well paid pilots end up sleeping in so-called crash pads, like this one abc news found near laguardia airport in new york, with stacks of bunk beds, 24 to a room. or trying to grab sleep in pilot lounges, where experts say the quality of sleep is badly impaired. >> thes

the rules were inspired by the 2009 colgan air crash near buffalo that killed 50 people. >> former ntsb mark rosenker joins us this morning. good to see you. >> good to see you, as well. >> pilot fatigue not determined to be the sole factor in the colgan air crash, how did it lead to the investigation? >> the board took a look at the 72-hour history of both pilots. and they did conclude that the activities that they were involved in during that 72 hours actually could create fatigue. but with that said, there were so many other factors that clearly were at fault in this accident that there was a real discussion over whether fatigue played a major role, but that wasn't the real issue. fatigue has been an insidious cause of so many incidents and accidents that the ntsb has studied it has been on the most-wanted list for 20 years. >> make a major announcement later today. let's talk about the current rules for work and rest time. what are the current rules and how might they change? >> right now a maximum duty day, from the time you sign in until the time you sign out and go out is 16 hour

to respond to the horrific events that all sort of lined up together to cause the crash of that colgan airight. any progress here? >> reporter: you know, you're an old washingtonian. the truth of the matter is, in terms of rule making this happened at warp speed when you consider the fact that congress got in involved, faa, pilots union. three years after 50 people died on that horrific crash, we see that the faa has moved forward with new rules. faa took a science-based approach, ook at what we know about sleep cycles, jet lag, working all hours of the days and night, and applied those science-based principals to the new rules. >> reporter: for the families of the people who died on colgan air flight outside buffalo three years ago a tribute to their tenacity and determination. >> these families, with unimaginable heartbreak, turns that into a powerful commitment to save the lives of others. >> reporter: pie llot aierror u states and to blame. grueling work schedules for pilots, long distance commutes and exhaustion. the first faa rule change to address pilot fatigue in nearly 50 years, s

reporter: the new pilot fatigue rules are meant to prevent accidents like this one, the crash of a colgan air commuter jet from newark to buffalo almost three years ago, in which 50 people had died. neither the pilot nor the first officer had slept in a bed the night before. they had commuted to newark from florida and washington state. yawns could be heard on the cockpit voice recorder. >> this new rule will afford pilots the opportunity to get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep before a flight. >> reporter: the rules will also reduce the number of on-duty hours for a pilot. but only from a maximum of 16 hours a day to 14 hours a day. >> i'm very distressed over these rules because they don't go anywhere near far enough. >> reporter: critics say the new rules also fall substantially short of dealing with the problems of pilots who commute to their base, flying in from distant cities to begin their duty. younger, less well paid pilots end up sleeping in so-called crash pads, like this one abc news found near laguardia airport in new yk. or trying to grab sleep in pilot lounges where experts s

. >> reporter: investigators believe neither pilot in the colgan air crash had slept well the night before after commuting long distances cross country. for three years the families of the crash victims pushed lawmakers, the faa, and the airline to address pilot fatigue. among the victims, beverly eckert, whose husband died on 9/11. >> they were the motivating force behind what we did and they will continue to motivate us for everything else that we really intend to accomplish before we go away. and we're not going away soon. >> reporter: meanwhile, pilots complain of fatigue every day and managing it, says nbc aviation expert john cox, makes flying the plane all that more challenging. >> it's staying ahead of the airplane, ensuring that all the many details of the flight are done, done correctly, and done in a timely manner. the more fatigued you are, the more difficult that becomes. >> reporter: the pilots' unions are supporting this move. the airline industry is cautiously moving forward with it. one group of airlines got a pass completely and that's the cargo carriers. carl, they argue

reporter: the new pilot fatigue rules are meant to prevent accidents like this one, the crash of a colgan airr jet from newark to buffalo almost three years ago, in which 50 people had died. neither the pilot nor the first officer had slept in a bed the night before. they had commuted to newark from florida and washington state. yawns could be heard on the cockpit voice recorder. >> this new rule will afford pilots the opportunity to get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep before a flight. >> reporter: the rules will also reduce the number of on-duty hours for a pilot. but only from a maximum of 16 hours a day to 14 hours a day. >> i'm very distressed over these rules because they don't go anywhere near far enough. >> reporter: critics say the new rules also fall substantially short of dealing with the problems of pilots who commute to their base, flying in from distant cities to begin their duty. younger, less well paid pilots end up sleeping in so-called crash pads, like this one abc news found near laguardia airport in new york. or trying to grab sleet in pilot lounges, where experts say th

. >> reporter: investigators believe neither pilot in the colgan air crash had slept well the night before after commuting long distances cross country. for three years the families of the crash victims pushed lawmakers, the faa, and the airline to address pilot fatigue. among the victims, beverly eckert, whose husband died on 9/11. >> they were the motivating force behind what we did and they will continue to motivate us for everything else that we really intend to accomplish before we go away. and we're not going away soon. >> reporter: meanwhile, pilots complain of fatigue every day and managing it, says nbc aviation expert john cox, makes flying the plane all that more challenging. >> it's staying ahead of the airplane, ensuring that all the many details of the flight are done, done correctly, and done in a timely manner. the more fatigued you are, the more difficult that becomes.man. the more fatigued you are, the more difficult that becomes. >> reporter: the pilots' unions are supporting this move. the airline industry is cautiously moving forward with it. one group of airlines got a